The present invention relates to an apparatus for carrying a passenger on a bicycle, and in particular a carrier for a passenger wherein the passenger is seated forward of the seat of the rider of the bicycle.
With the exception of a few bicycle-built-for-two designs, all bicycles are designed to support only one individual: a seated rider. However, it is often necessary or desirable to carry a passenger on a bicycle. For example, many adults carry small children on bicycles, using bicycle passenger seats that are designed especially for children.
Typically, bicycle passenger seats for children are designed to be secured to the bicycle frame rearwardly of the seat of the rider and above the rear wheel. This arrangement emulates the placement of a typical luggage rack for bicycles. This arrangement is unsatisfactory in at least two aspects: the weight of the child above the rear axle renders the bicycle potentially unstable when the rider dismounts, and the child's view from the passenger seat is obstructed by the legs and torso of the rider perched on the rider's seat.
One bicycle seat design that overcomes these deficiencies in the prior art is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,479, issued to the present inventors in 1990. In this apparatus, the child passenger seat is disposed to extend between the seat post and the steering tube, and to be supported by either the horizontal tube of the frame (in a typical bicycle style for men), or suspended between the seat post and the oblique down tube of the frame (in a typical bicycle style for women). This arrangement places the passenger medially between the front and rear wheels, resulting in a far more stable distribution of the passenger's weight on the frame. Moreover, the child passenger is afforded an excellent view, unobstructed by the body of the bicycle rider. The present invention is an improvement over this prior art apparatus, and is significantly different structurally, especially in the front attachment arrangement and the child footrest.